Storage

The Pixel 7a has yet to be announced by Google - however, it already somehow has listings on the online US marketplace Swappa. The popular source of second-hand smartphones has a page for the new mid-range handset, which, furthermore, has multiple listings for allegedly in-hand units. They all drop similar strong hints as to the 7a's specs and color options ahead of their official reveal.

Tecno has now confirmed a switch to a pointedly distinctive rear camera housing in its latest Camon-series smartphones. It houses a combination of 64MP and 2MP shooters in the new 20, 20 Pro and 20 Pro 5G variants, only upgrading to a 50MP+108MP+2MP set-up in the flagship 20 Premier. The 5G-capable members of this new family are also the first Android devices to launch with the "new" MediaTek Dimensity 8050 processor.

Released in late August 2022 and available in 2 TB and 1 TB sizes, the PlayStation 5-compatible WD Black SN850 PCIe NVMe SSD has list prices of US$299.99 and US$179.99 on Amazon. Thankfully, the ongoing 33% discount makes this storage solution available to those interested for US$199.99 and US$119.99.

Available on Amazon since late August 2019, the WD My Passport (WDBPKJ0050BBK-WESN) is a 5 TB USB 3.0 portable hard drive that comes with 256-bit hardware encryption and a backup software solution (download needed). The ongoing 28% discount takes this piece of hardware from US$149.99 to US$107.99.

OWC's latest promotional event, somewhat unsurprisingly-themed, flash sale includes deals on the OEM's own SDXC or CFExpress cards. However, for those in need of a USB type-C ultrabook to use with them, there is a "new/factory-sealed" late-2021 14-inch MacBook Pro on offer. The Space Gray PC has 32GB of RAM, rather than the 16GB entry-level models usually found through online retail.

The Note 16 Pro's unique selling point on its launch preview is that it is a Ulefone device with an up-to-date version of Android out of the box. The new smartphone also boasts a 50MP main camera, a more-or-less modern "ultra-thin" build and a generous RAM-boosting feature - then again, some compromises have been made to get it to its "significant" launch-day special-offer price.

The Realme 11 Pro Plus (or Pro+) is already touted as the first mid-range smartphone that will combine Xiaomi 13 Ultra looks and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra-esque camera performance. Its new alleged specs leak puts the emphasis on "mid-range", though, hinting at the inclusion of the latest affordable-grade mobile processor from MediaTek. Then again, it may have a healthy amount of RAM and a more or less up-to-date OS on its debut.

Not long after its list price has finally dropped from US$379.99 to a more realistic US$159.99, the Samsung 980 PRO 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B) drops below US$140. While the 13% discount is not impressive, the US$139.99 price makes it a pretty good deal, in line with the US$79.99 regular price tag of the 1 TB version.

With a list price of US$219.99, the 1 TB Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S consoles is now down to US$149.99 thanks to a generous 32% discount. Thankfully, those looking for more storage can go for the 2 TB version, which is currently 30% off and can be acquired for US$279.99 instead of US$399.99.

Tecno is said to have developed a highly distinctive camera hump for its upcoming Camon 20 series of Android smartphones. It is also now said to consist of vanilla and Pro variants as well as the 20 Premier flagship. They may fall into a sub-US$300 bracket on their launch to their initial market, with slight compromises on what is still expected of a good mid-range device in 2023.

Thanks to a massive 51% discount, the WD Red Pro NAS HDD (model WD161KFGX) is now down to a tempting US$279.99 (US$569.99 list price). This piece of storage hardware has a general rating of 4.6/5 stars after more than 3,500 validated user reviews, of which over 90% are 4-star and 5-star assessments.

Jackery has announced a Flash Sale on its line of portable power stations that are also compatible with solar charging. The event lasts only a few days, and offers up to 30% off its latest back-up power supplies, its latest Explorer 3000 Pro flagship included. Some bundles also include handy carrying-cases for the high-capacity, high-wattage accessories.

OnePlus claims to be out of units of its first-gen Pad for its North American and European reservation events - even though the brand has yet to disclose how much the Android tablet actually costs. An alleged slip-up by a partner for the device's upcoming Indian pre-orders might help customers take a better guess for the first time, however.

The latest BOOX Tab Ultra-series ePaper tablet is the first of its line to debut supporting the "limitless possibility" of drawing or writing in color as well as monochrome as usual, thanks to a new 10.3-inch Kaleido3 screen. Nevertheless, it is still e-ink, and, thus, rated for excellent eye-comfort while reading or scrolling using the brand's "uncompromized", Qualcomm SoC-powered technology.

The Ai microprocessors integrated with Cigent's new Secure SSD+ solutions employ machine learning algorithms to detect ransomware and remote attacks. Together with the Data Defense app, the SSDs can enable per-file multi-factor authentication and make entire partitions invisible or read-only.

With sequential read speeds of almost 7,500 MB/s, the insanely fast (and accordingly priced) Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is now down by 38% on Amazon, so those interested can get it for US$179.99 instead of US$289.99. The 1 TB model is also discounted and currently goes for US$99.99 (down from US$169.99).

Even the spacious 4TB variant of the budget-friendly Crucial P3 Plus is now approaching the US$200 mark as another SSD sale at a well-known online retailer offers the M.2 storage module for just US$215 including shipping.

Available on Amazon for almost five years, the 8 TB Seagate Barracuda hard drive reached its all-time high price of US$224.99 in early April 2019. Camelcamelcamel reveals an average price of US$140.69 based on the last 50 changes, with the lowest value being the current discounted price of US$99.99.

The rather quick PCIe 4.0 SSD works well in Sony's PlayStation 5 and has now dropped to its lowest price ever on Amazon as the e-commerce giant is selling the 2TB version of the Crucial P5 Plus for US$119 instead of the astronomical list price of US$319.

Huawei has just made the latest generation of its Band official in both NFC- and non-NFC form. The fitness tracker is mainly touted as a lighter version of its predecessor with more band options that are more user-friendly this time. The fitness tracker has launched alongside the Enjoy 60X, a new smartphone that brings top-end Mate-series design and a massive battery to its mid-range segment.

Smartphones such as the OnePlus 11 currently occupy the top end of the Android market thanks in part to the ability to charge their large 5,000mAh batteries at up to 100W. However, according to a prolific leaker, those specs might trickle down in the next wave of devices, although they will be from the brand Realme instead. It is also now tipped to put the currently ultra-premium combination of 16GB RAM and 1TB of internal storage within the reach of more consumers soon.

Huawei's Enjoy series of smartphones is now believed to get a new member that will bring multiple 50MP rear cameras to its mid-range market segment. The 60X is also tipped to benefit from a high-end design re-vamp that leaves it looking more like the OEM's new top-end foldable flagship. It may also run HarmonyOS 3 out of the box and come with an old-school notch in its FHD+ display.

Samsung just announced upgraded microSD and SD memory cards in its professional PRO Plus series for use in equipment as varied as drones, phones, and DSLR cameras. The new read and write speeds are 180 MB/s and 130 MB/s, respectively, while the cards are V30-certified for rapid video transfers.

Although only discounted by 13%, the 4 TB Silicon Power XS70 (model number SP04KGBP44XS7005) NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD is now at the lowest price it had on Amazon. While its current list price is US$329.99, back in early March 2022, this PlayStation 5-compatible SSD was available for no less than US$749.99.

Thanks to a very generous discount of 61%, the 2 TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, model MZ-V8P2T0B, is now available on Amazon for US$149.99 down from a list price of US$379.99. However, a US$5 coupon is also available to apply at checkout, so the final cost would be an even more tempting US$144.99.

Introduced in 2021, the WD Blue SN570 is a budget M.2 NVMe SSD available in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB versions. Amazon's ongoing promotions for the last three sizes start at 43% for the 500 GB model, which is now US$32.99, and hit 55% for the 1 TB version, now available for a discounted price of US$49.99.

Insta360 has announced that it is offering a better shot at getting one of its high-end cameras for potentially lifestyle vlog- or even VR-quality content during its 2023 Spring Sale. The deals in question include up to US$110 off the innovative, modular ONE RS action camera, the top-end version with the 1-inch sensor and Leica branding included. Then again, Amazon still does better on some options.

Available on Amazon since early October 2020, the 1 TB WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD add-in card is capable of sequential read/write speeds up to 6,500/4,100 Mb/s. This piece of hardware is covered with a 5-year limited warranty. Its US$299.99 list price is now down to US$199.99 thanks to a generous 33% discount.

While the 1TB version of the very quick PCIe 4.0 SSD has dropped to US$119 after a generous 29% discount, the 2TB Samsung 990 Pro has experienced an even bigger price drop and can now be ordered for US$179 on Amazon.

Covered with a 3-year limited warranty and featuring a 336 TBW endurance value, the 960 GB Lexar NQ100 SATA III SSD has a sequential read speed of up to 550 MB/s. With a list price of US$74.99, this affordable storage upgrade solution is now down by 40% on Amazon, so it can be acquired for just US$44.99, which is its lowest price in 30 days.

CheckUp No downloads required; Windows command line and two minutes of spare time is all that's needed to delete an undeletable partition in Windows. This method will work with both Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems.

Introduced in early February 2021 and available in 500 GB to 4 TB versions, the WD_BLACK P50 Game Drive external SSD lineup is optimized for consoles, laptops, and desktops. Now, the 4 TB version is down by 33% on Amazon, so those interested can get it for US$499.99 instead of US$749.99.

Dataminers discovered DirectStorage dll files together with DLSS references in the closed beta client. Since DLSS support was introduced for the open beta, there is hope that DirectStorage could be functional in the final version.

With a list price of US$449.99, the 2 TB Corsair Force MP600 Gen4 PCIe x4 NVMe M.2 SSD is now down to US$297.99 on Amazon. This SSD delivers sequential write/read speeds of up to 4,950/4,250 MB/s and comes with a generous aluminum heatsink that allows this piece of hardware to provide top performance under heavy load for prolonged periods.

The lightning-fast NVMe SSD with 1TB of storage capacity was still hovering around the US$100 mark just a few months ago, which makes Amazon's current deal for the sought-after Samsung 980 Pro absolutely noteworthy.

With a list price of US$69.99, the 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD has dropped just 21% to the discounted value of US$55. However, today's new deal pushes this SSD to its lowest price so far, according to Amazon price tracker Camelcamelcamel. The same source shows an average price of US$102.53 since late January 2019.

Unleashed at the end of October 2022, the Kingston Fury Renegade lineup of PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSDs is available in capacities from 500 GB to 4 TB, each with a heatsink or a low-profile heat spreader. The PlayStation 5-compatible 4 TB model with heatsink is now 29% off, so it can be purchased for US$451.86 instead of US$634.99.

Thanks to a new deal at several well-known retailers, the WD Black SN770 NVMe SSD with 1TB of storage capacity has now undercut the US$60 price mark, which makes it one of the better choices in the budget-focused PCIe 4.0 segment.

Realme has announced that the GT Neo5 SE will be ready to take the Redmi Note 12 Turbo on later in 2023. The Android smartphone offers the freshly-launched Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 processor in a mid-range version of its series' flagship's design. It is also said to combine the new silicon with other top-end internals for a performance-focused experience.

Launched back in 2019 and available in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB sizes, the Sabrent Rocket NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 SSD is one of the fastest pieces of hardware in its class. With a list price of US$299.99, the 2 TB version is down to the lowest price in 30 days on Amazon thanks to a 40% discount, so now it goes for US$179.99.

With the lowest price in 30 days for the 4 TB model, which is 40% down from US$429.99 to US$258, the old-school Samsung 870 QVO SATA III SSD family is now down by up to 48% on Amazon. This discount applies to the 1 TB model. Thanks to it, the price drops from US$134.99 to US$69.99.

Developed in the United States and available on Amazon for less than a year, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus NVMe PCIe 4.0 8 TB SSD can reach 7,100 MB/s and 6,600 MB/s when reading/writing data while used on a PCIe Gen4 motherboard. The US$1,499.99 list price is now down to the lowest value in 30 days, so those interested can get it for US$999.99.

Samsung has now officially confirmed that the Galaxy F14 has only 2 rear cameras, whereas some apparent counterparts such as the A14 come with 3. Nevertheless, it is also now touted to bring the new Exynos 1330 SoC to its "segment", as well as a large battery and Android 13. It is now set to unleash its "frevolutionary" set of features on the Indian market later this month.

The allegedly upcoming Vivo X Flip may have just surfaced on Geekbench 6 for the first time. Should this be the case, it has shown up there to do battle with its supposed Android clamshell rival, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. The two devices apparently have the exact same specs - with the exception of a RAM boost for the putative upcoming new Vivo foldable smartphone.

While considered an outdated piece of tech that is no longer relevant in 2023 by many consumers, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB PCIe 3.0 SSD is now attractive once again thanks to an insane discount of almost 75%. Listed on Amazon with a US$499.99 price tag, this SSD is down to a pocket-friendly value of just US$129.99.

Rumors of a Samsung Galaxy F14 coming to join the pre-existing M14 and A14 on the 2023 Android smartphone market have given rise to speculation that all 3 mid-range devices would share the same build. However, according to a new leak, this is not the case for the "F14", which is now being painted as a slightly bemusing blend of M14 specs and A04 design.

Meizu has finally confirmed that its next top-end Android smartphones, the 20 and 20 Pro, will be unveiled at the end of March 2023. Both devices have appeared in what may be last-minute benchmarking leaks ahead of this event; meanwhile, a famous leaker has taken note of their new, Samsung Galaxy S23-esque builds.

Introduced on the market at the end of November 2019, the 14 TB Western Digital Purple HDD is optimized for surveillance tasks with design traits that ensure long-term reliability while in use 24/7. With a list price of US$319.99 and a mid-2021 peak of almost US$600, the WD140PURZ model retails now at US$279.99.

A new Android device with Asus' name in the title has started to pop up on Geekbench 6. The details involved in these new leaks invite speculation that a new addition to the performance-focused ROG Phone line has been spotted ahead of its 2023 launch. If so, this putative 7-series variant will have Qualcomm's latest flagship SoC, lots of RAM and up-to-date software out of the box.